Welcome to my Blog. Just extension on the man’s cave and local watering hole. It is not for the faint of heart- bunny hugging- tea totting- children of any age- and most wife’s. Only because none of them understand. Guns and gun videos scantly dressed and bare breasted wimmen drinking- racing and hunting stories told here. This blog is for adults with sense of adventure and a demented sense of humor. Feel free to comment and post on here. . Grammar Police are not welcomed here.

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

I have learned today that the Legendary Tom Knapp, http://www.tomknapp.net/ the shotgun wielding trick shot has passed away. Tom has been featured on many shows and made as many as 8000 appearances in his career. Memorable for tossing a large pile of clay's in the air and shooting all and the ejected hulls before they hit the ground. NO matter how many times I have watched him I was left in awe.

By Lt. Col Dave Grossman
Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle,
productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true.
Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated
assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast
majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.
We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still
remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are
not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme
provocation. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Do
you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy?
You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of
evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a
sheep. There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and
confront the wolf. Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put
it, “We intimidate those who intimidate others.”
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive
citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your
fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath–a wolf. But what
if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens?
Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path.
Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human
phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do
not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact
that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire
sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many
of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their
kid’s school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or
seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to
the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or
harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf.
He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The
difference, though, is that
the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog
who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.
The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy
or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there
are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go,
or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in
camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the
sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.” Until the
wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely
sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high
school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the
time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing
to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were
clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those
clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about
their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on
the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about
their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times
you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it
is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny
critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze,
barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous
battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old
sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns
when needed, right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend
the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks
on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America
said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors,
said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could
have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have
truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be
able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he
does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive
and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of
violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious,
predatory crimes of
violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast
majority said that they specifically
targeted victims by body language:
Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims
like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least
able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically
primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that
most people can choose
which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are
choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored
in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on
Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator
from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three
passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and
uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the
other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a
transformation occurred among the passengers – athletes, business people and
parents. — from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves,
ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of
evil men. – Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police
officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the
sheep, real sheep,
are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t
have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever
you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you
must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones
are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to
be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you
will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog
and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision
every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic,
corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It
is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a
matter of degrees, a
continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end
is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other.
Most of us live somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away
from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their
warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. It’s okay to
be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a
little harder, strive to protect a little beter and be fully prepared to pay an
ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from “baa” to
“thanks”. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood
and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive,
physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat
on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained
protecting the sheep. And when our number is called by the Almighty, and day
retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to
say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the
thousands, millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express
even bad ideas.

Monday, April 15, 2013

...has been slow this past few weeks. Weather and work determines how much time I spend at the range. Cost and availability is a factor, but is a reasonable one. If I don't work it is a major factor. Two weeks ago today I was driving in the early morning darkness a large band or a small herd of deer ran across the road from the condo's where they were grazing to a city park. Damn I thought I had them clear when a smaller second group darted out. Obviously the slower part of the group. Well I nailed one. Now I have hunted deer in the past and have no issue harvesting one. I have had the misfortunes also to make contact on the roadways. So this did not make me nauseous or did I need professional consultations for the PTSD. Till a few hours later and the morning light illuminated the damage.

A roll off was ordered and it was hauled to a Body shop near my residence and a person that I have dealt with in the past. Now the real issues begin. The good hands people at my Agency laugh ( No the agent really did) and with the given reply to me about why I could not have a rental. Which made absolutely no sense So when I asked for the definition of the word collision he really laughed. Believe it when I say I went off on him. A short while later the agent calls back, still not comfortable with me and again tries to tell me that comprehensive damage will not cover a rental. He then went on and told me I had not the rental clause in my policy. Damn dude you could have said this from the start. The agent now tells me I am not a nice person. Yep your right I am not, I will be changing companies soon also. He also informs me the adjuster will show up some time between the next day Tues and Fri. Great service. In the meantime the rental company is called. The cheapest possible vehicle is reserved. At my own expense.
The next day I receive a call from Insurance carrier stating the adjuster would be stopping to appraise the damage in the afternoon and would call me before he got there. On my way home from the dreaded 4 letter word that gets in the way of my range time. I stop at the body shop to get my sunglasses and take a few more pic's. The appraiser is there and ready to total the vehicle. As most can tell there is damage however the airbag didn't deploy and I drove it to work a half a mile away. He is wanting to give me less than value on the vehicle. When I demand he fix it. The adjuster spent more time working this one and his body english told me didn't want to do this. He wanted the easy way out. He however did give me some help in a reduce rate with the Rental company. Still out of my pocket. Now two weeks later i sit here waiting for the call from the body shop saying I can get a ride over there to pick it up. the rental was returned on Friday when the jeep was suppose to be done.
I know many of you have had similar experiences. I write this so to warn everyone of you to look over your policies and make sure you have the coverage you think you are paying for.

Deer run rampant in Fairfax County- Need some Chasing Tails here. This is next to the parking garage at work.

As I finish typing this up the body shop has called and said it's being washed and cleaned up and will be ready in an hour. I think I have said enough about my insurance companies issues, while I am not pleased with them. I will give kudos to the folks at Enterprise Rentals. The customers service there was outstanding. When they heard I had been in accident they were more than willing to give me the Insurance company rate for the rental.

I don't know if I will have time for some range activities today but the weekend is just a few days closer now. Thanks for stopping by.